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Beta Test Phase
Announcement and Release Dates A Beta Test for LEGO Universe was first announced at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show, also known as CES. The beta release date is believed by some to be set for the end of March 2010 (based on a few assumptions from the countdown on the Minifig Mission page on the LEGO Universe website), although the original date of beta testing was set for February 25, only to be prolonged for unknown reasons. While the beta was rescheduled for release on Febrary 27, it was once again prolonged. On March the 10th, the first round of beta keys were sent out to those who were not alphas. (AKA. Regular users.) However, it has been confirmed that this is not the only round of keys to be sent, and that there will be plenty more sent out over the next few weeks. Pre-Beta Stage The game has already undergone an Alpha Testing phase. Alpha Testers composed of LEGO Kids Inner Circle members, LEGO employees and their family members, chosen visitors at CES 2010, and people who visited locations where the pods had landed. These people got to try out the game (based on a set schedule), and report bugs that they found, in order to prepare the game for the Beta test phase. Sign Ups On Febuary 3, the producer of LEGO Universe released a link to sign up for beta testing, but it does not guarantee that you will be chosen. Since then, the sign up page has also been sent out to Newsletter subscribers, My LEGO Network users, and members of the LEGO Kids Inner Circle. On March 2, the beta signup page was posted in the official LEGO Universe news section on the LEGO Universe website. While signups are still open for applications, only a limited amount of users will be allowed to test when the beta phase is closed to further applicants. Compatability The Alpha version of LEGO users only worked on Windows computers with at least a gigabyte of RAM, a hefty video card, and quite a bit of hard drive space. A Mac version was never available, although at the time the LEGO Universe team stated that they were looking into the matter. Some improvements in compatability are possible, although it has been stated that a Mac version will more than most likely remain unavailable at this stage of the game. However, some alpha testers were able to load the game within a Windows emulator, such as Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion. When the beta is released, these will be the only options for Mac users. It is expected that a Mac version will be released with the Live 1 launch. Declaration of Secrecy The Declaration of Secrecy was a document created by LEGO in order to restrain alpha testers from posting pictures, videos, or posts about the LEGO Universe gameplay. This declaration remains throughout the closed beta period as well, with the exact specifications as before. Open Beta Myths As of now, no one is sure if there will be an open beta phase, although there are a couple of arguements that could be brought against such a theory: * Several early mentions of the closed-beta phase refer to the phase as the FINAL phase before Live 1 release * Since the "closed beta" has been revealed to everyone that follows LEGO Universe development (how else would they do so, but on the official site, wherein a link to signup for closed beta was given), then technically it is an open beta anyway There is still a chance that an open beta will be released, and LEGO will tell you they're undecided if you email them on the matter.